Since most stressed-out people do not know what stress is or how stress could cause various frightening physical symptoms, they often assert that stress has nothing to do with their symptoms. A lot of them, especially the ones with severe physical symptoms, say, severe chest pain, or shortness of breath, are shocked out of their wits when told that there is nothing physically wrong with them. Their common question is, “How can my mind cause this chest pain?” Reassurance that there is nothing physically wrong with them often makes them feel worse instead of better! They would rather be told they had a heart attack! Such is the dread people have about so-called “mental illness.”

Some of these people try to cope with their predicament by indulging in a little bit of self-deception: “I have no more stress than any one else! This can’t be stress! I am not imagining this. I handle my stress just fine. My doctor does not know what he is talking about! He must have missed something!” Baffled and scared, they redouble their efforts to establish a physical basis for their symptoms by going on an expensive medical wild goose chase. They consult various hotshot specialists, undergo expensive tests, and often visit well-known medical center such as Mayo Clinic without getting an iota of benefit. Every year billions of dollars are wasted by stressed-out people on unnecessary medical tests and procedures. Uninformed doctors become their unwitting partners in this medical merry-go-round. Neither the medical community at large nor the health insurance industry has a clue about this major healthcare issue.

When, as it happens on rare occasions, people do admit having stress they insist they handled their stress well. When asked what they meant by stress or how they handled it, however, they are at a loss for words. Because of the ignorance about the phenomenon of stress and the stigma attached to the so-called mental illness people rarely consult psychiatrists before ordinary stress has progressed into a serious stress-related disorder such as depression, panic disorder and the like. Many are forced into treatment by family members, employers or legal authorities as a result of their dysfunctional behavior at home, at work place or in the community respectively. It is the goal of this little guide to remove these two scourges of mankind: Ignorance about stress and stigma of mental illness.